16 U.S.C. § 2102 : US Code - Section 2102: Rural forestry assistance

Search 16 U.S.C. § 2102 : US Code - Section 2102: Rural forestry assistance

(a) Assistance to forest landowners and others
The Secretary may provide financial, technical, educational, and
related assistance to State foresters or equivalent State
officials, and State extension directors, to enable such officials
to provide technical information, advice, and related assistance to
private forest land owners and managers, vendors, forest resource
operators, forest resource professionals, public agencies, and
individuals to enable such persons to carry out activities that are
consistent with the purposes of this chapter, including -
(1) protecting, maintaining, enhancing, restoring, and
preserving forest lands and the multiple values and uses that
depend on such lands;
(2) identifying, protecting, maintaining, enhancing, and
preserving wildlife and fish species, including threatened and
endangered species, and their habitats;
(3) implementing forest management technologies;
(4) selecting, producing, and marketing alternative forest
crops, products and services from forest lands;
(5) protecting forest land from damage caused by fire, insects,
disease, and damaging weather;
(6) managing the rural-land and urban-land interface to balance
the use of forest resources in and adjacent to urban and
community areas;
(7) identifying and managing recreational forest land
resources;
(8) identifying and protecting the aesthetic character of
forest lands;
(9) protecting forest land from conversion to alternative uses;
and
(10) the management of resources of forest lands, including -
(A) the harvesting, processing, and marketing of timber and
other forest resources and the marketing and utilization of
wood and wood products;
(B) the conversion of wood to energy for domestic,
industrial, municipal, and other uses;
(C) the planning, management, and treatment of forest land,
including site preparation, reforestation, thinning, prescribed
burning, and other silvicultural activities designed to
increase the quantity and improve the quality of timber and
other forest resources;
(D) ensuring that forest regeneration or reforestation occurs
if needed to sustain long-term resource productivity;
(E) protecting and improving forest soil fertility and the
quality, quantity, and timing of water yields; and
(F) encouraging the investment of a portion of the proceeds
from the sale of timber or other forest resources in
stewardship activities that preserve, protect, maintain, and
enhance their forest land.
(b) State forestry assistance
The Secretary is authorized to provide financial, technical, and
related assistance to State foresters, or equivalent State
officials, to -
(1) develop genetically improved tree seeds;
(2) develop and contract for the development of field
arboretums, greenhouses, and tree nurseries, in cooperation with
a State, to facilitate production and distribution of tree seeds
and seedlings in States where the Secretary determines that there
is an inadequate capacity to carry out present and future
reforestation needs;
(3) procure, produce, and distribute tree seeds and trees for
the purpose of establishing forests, windbreaks, shelterbelts,
woodlots, and other plantings;
(4) plant tree seeds and seedlings on non-Federal forest lands
that are suitable for the production of timber, recreation, and
for other benefits associated with the growing of trees;
(5) plan, organize, and implement measures on non-Federal
forest lands, including thinning, prescribed burning, and other
silvicultural activities designed to increase the quantity and
improve the quality of trees and other vegetation, fish and
wildlife habitat, and water yielded therefrom; and
(6) protect or improve soil fertility on non-Federal forest
lands and the quality, quantity, and timing of water yields
therefrom.
(c) Implementation
In implementing this section, the Secretary shall cooperate with
other Federal, State, and local natural resource management
agencies, universities and the private sector.
(d) Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be
necessary to carry out this section.